pride & prejudice

Tonight, while watching Pride & Prejudice on television, I read some of the letters pertaining to the publication of the "Little House" books. On 22 December 1936 Ida Louise Raymond (at the time, she was assistant to the editor, Harper & Brothers' Department of Books for Boys and Girls) wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder the following:

"I am in a little trouble about the illustration [for On the Banks of Plum Creek]. I am sure you will agree with me that Helen Sewell must continue with the series. Unfortunately, however, she was in a very bad automobile accident a short while ago and is still suffering from shock, and unable to use her eyes for very long at a time. She came to see me the other day to say that although she is fonder of your books than any others that she illustrates, she felt that she simply could not get this done in time unless she had someone to help her. She would like to have a Mildred Boyle (who has done some most attractive work, of which I enclose a sample) work with her on the research and some of the backgrounds. Miss Sewell would do the figures, and the jacket and frontispiece would be entirely her work. Miss Boyle's name, however, would have to appear on the title page as collaborating with Miss Sewell.

I do hope this is all right with you because, frankly, I see no way out of it..."

My research assistant, Iris, tells me that I have been known to say that Miss Boyle began to help Miss Sewell because she (Sewell) had been hired to illustrate the Merrymount Press "Limited Edition Club" edition of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, released in (February?) 1940.

I haven't been able to find any other information about Helen Sewell being in a car accident circa 1936, nor about her being hired to do the (42?) illustrations for Pride & Prejudice and that was the real reason she needed help with "Little House."

Something to wonder: was it car accident or other job, or perhaps both? At any rate, I can't help but look at Sewell's P&P illustrations and think LH.
- posted by pioneergirl at 10:44 PM